An investigation of the Don Juan story

Getting Castaneda is a remarkable piece of literary detective work. Perhaps not everyone will draw the same conclusions from the detailed analysis that the author presents in his easy, well-paced style, read with warmth and authority by Clay Lomakayu.
But surely, few would persist in examining so closely a single writer's work over a 30 year period. This is how long Peter Luce pursued the increasingly complex narratives and timelines in Carlos Castaneda's books, along with the later associated narratives penned by Taisha Abela and Florinda Donner-Grau. It's to be appreciated that he has restricted his detective work exclusively to the contents of the books themselves without reference to commentaries, anecdotes, debunking attempts and gossip from other sources. 

Luce captures much of the excitement and mystery of the books with a compelling combination of choice quotes, cliff-hangers and condensations of events, drawing out key points and always emphasizing the richness of the reading experience.

Like any good detective, he also digs deep into the correlations and the anomalies of the various timelines that weave their way through the multiple narrative strands of Castaneda's opus, raising pertinent questions and offering thought-provoking theories.

The Getting Castaneda audiobook is a must-listen for anyone, adherent or skeptic, who was ever captivated by the non-ordinary world of Don Juan, the Yaqui sorcerer.

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1 person found this helpful

good summary

first time I hear a complete summary. I read all Castaneda's books several times so I didn't really learn anything new, but interesting still.
my only complaint would be the pronunciation of the Spanish names. especially after learning Spanish lol.

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An Approach to Castaneda

Peter Luce's Getting Castaneda is great for understanding the tonal side of shamanic practice, and becoming aware of the myth of Carlos Castaneda/Don Juan Matus. He provides structure, summary, context and themes. Notably, he states the key overarching theme of memory.

Clay Lomakayu's narration is not only spot-on, but also provides an excellent juxtaposition with Luis Moreno's.

"Getting Castaneda" brings up numerous points I need to revisit in certain Castaneda books, as well as which audiobooks I want to listen to in their entirety. By contrast, Getting Castaneda helps me conclude which books I don't need to revisit.

Next, one needs the nagual side, to develop the second attention. Castaneda's last 4 books are by far his most significant work, as they focus on the other overarching theme, that of perceiving energy directly as it flows in the universe, along with adding the human magic of awareness and intent. These capabilities are blocked by the rational mind, the left brain, the tonal when it is left to dominate human awareness, cognition, decision making and action.

If you want to get Castaneda, I recommend immediately listening to and practicing the Magical Passes, beginning with the first series; listening to The Wheel of Time to get Castaneda's overview; and listening to Peter Luce's Getting Castaneda audio. The first will get your body into the shamanic mood, and the latter 2 will help you see which of the first 8 books you need. Then listen to the audiobooks that intuition indicates, as well as The Art of Dreaming and The Active Side of Infinity. The reading will help you understand the theory, and you can simultaneously get moving on the practice in Magical Passes -- aka "the gait of power"; Dreaming; and the Recapitulation. Don't think about it too much... just get started!

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Greatest Hits

Basically, this is a greatest hits book, covering the best bits of past books. A good refresher

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The most important book about Castaneda that wasn’t written by the man himself.

I’ve been studying Castaneda thoroughly for 25 years of my life and this is easily the most important breakdown of his work that I’ve ever read. I could replace an entire shelf of my library with his 170 pages. I devoured the book when it was released a year ago and now the audio will be in heavy rotation for years to come. It’s difficult to get across what we owe Peter Luce for his perspective on a most profound mystery.

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NEW TITLE

I've just added this title to my library, but it is totally unresponsive, in fact, the functionality of app seems to have been removed... apart from the titles that I listen to regularly. Please assist. Thank you.

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